Author's Note: I do hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is kinda irrelevant to anything… just an old story idea I dug up from a year ago… Enjoy! If you like it, and you want more… I can't do that… it's a one-shot fic I wrote…
Grim Decisions
Elizabeth looked around, walking through the cemetery at a slow pace. She held a singular flower in her hand, a black rose. Quite rare, and one of the only ones of it's kind. The rarest one she could find in the middle of Tokyo. She knelt down next to a gravestone, placing the singular flower onto the ground in front of it.
"... I'm not one for speeches my friend... but... rest easy... and... Momentai..."
She stood up again, walking off. Rain began to fall steadily, and she put her hood on. Takato was waiting for her at the entrance.
"Hey... are you okay?" he asked in concern. She gave him a weak smile, and then walked off. Sighing heavily, Takato followed behind.
~***~
"... Wake up Hun..."
Elizabeth moaned, rolling over in the bed.
"Hun... it's Yamaki... he's on the phone..."
She sat up, looking around. Henry's room, not her room... not the one in the orphanage. She saw Mrs. Wong at the doorway, smiling weakly.
"Should I tell him you aren't home?"
"... No, that's okay... I'll get it..."
"Okay dear... take your time..."
Elizabeth slowly slipped out of the bed. She was in Henry's room, in his bed. She was adopted by his family until Yamaki came around to take her in as his daughter once more. Rubbing her eyes, Elizabeth yawned. Mrs. Wong came back into the room.
"... Hun... he's got a limited amount of time..."
"I'll be right there Mrs. Wong..."
The older woman winced as she heard the words coming out of Elizabeth's mouth. The younger girl however wasn't paying much attention as she slipped by and picked the phone up from the desk.
"... Hello?"
"...Elizabeth?"
"Yeah..."
"Listen... I have no time to explain. There are people who want to eliminate the Digital World. I don't even know if this line is secure... but... there are ways to kill two birds with one stone..."
"... In English Yam-"
"Dad..."
"In English...YAMAKI..."
"... We can thrwart this threat... and get him back..."
"H-H-Henry?"
Her throat was dry and her voice was hoarse.
"Yes."
Yamaki hung up the phone, but Elizabeth wasn't listening. Henry... come back?... from the dead? That was terribly impossible... wasn't it?
~***~
Henry slowly opened his eyes. Hmm... bubbles... that was diff-... wait... BUBBLES?!
Henry's eyes widened, and he saw he was in a giant tank filled with a transparent, orange liquid.
'Well... there goes my favorite color...' he thought to himself. He looked about, noticing he could see right through the liquid to the other side. White lab coats, wierd looking glasses, grim faces, clipboards... they were scientists alright. Henry opened his mouth to speak, but gagged, choking on the liquid.
"Ahhh... we're awake now, aren't we?" a voice asked. Henry stared at the source, a female in a white lab coat.
'Riley?'
Henry stared at her, and she was quite clearly Riley.
"Thought you were dead, huh? But you aren't... it's easy to cover up an abduction... oh, don't worry Henry... you're fine where you are... believe you're in the Digital World... and talkt to me... I know you have an open mind..."
'Abduction? Wait... what? I've gotta find out more...'
Henry closed his eyes, believing he was in the Digital World.
"You aren't like other children my dear..." Riley went on, "You're different... much different... that event two years ago did it, didn't it?"
Henry took a deep breath, opening his eyes again.
"Listen... I don't know what you did or what you're doing now, but you know it won't last long..." he managed before choking again.
"... Hun... you're wrong... even your loving Elizabeth doesn't even know you still exist..."
Riley let out a small laugh. Henry stared. Elizabeth had to know he was alive... she was his only hope for survival. He helped her, she helped him. They were like peanut butter and jelly, if one was gone, the other one fell apart. It wasn't possible she thought that he had... died... now... did she?
"Remember what happened my dear? You got run over by a car... saving her..."
Henry closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened.
"So... how was your class today?" she asked.
"... The usual... Mr. Icaji went off during Biology and almost threw a frog in Rika's face..."
"...Sheesh...What'd she do this time?"
"...Nothing..."
"Huh... that's funny... she usually does something..."
"No... she didn't do ANYTHING..."
Elizabeth smiled, ruffling his hair happily. He blushed about five shades of red, walking ahead.
"I've gotta go Henry," she said, "Meetin' up with Ryo in a few minutes..."
She began to walk across the street. Henry looked back at her.
"Don't forget the dance tonight!" he shouted. Elizabeth turned around, smiling and waving.
"Don't worry! I wo- ACK!"
She tripped, landing on her bottom.
"You okay Liz?"
"Fine!"
Henry stared at Riley in shock.
"You don't remember, do you? Think harder boy."
"ELIZABETH! GET OUTTA THERE!"
The speeding van obviously was either not looking, or trying to run her over. Henry pushed her out of the way just as he heard the loud noises of a horn blowing.
"Ahh... it's coming back isn't it?"
Henry opened his eyes again.
"But... h-"
"We have a monitor on your brain waves Henry honey. Just think as hard as you can... and it'll come to you... the rest of it..."
It was dark. Kind of warm. Not how he'd picture death. Wait... you can't feel your own arms in death, can you? His eyes opened, and a distressed moan escaped his lips. Nothing but white, like a hospital.It was strange, but also at the same time kind of... cool. A doctor was now in his view. He put a gas mask over Henry's mouth, and he drifted back to sleep.
"Light sedative really boy... don't worry, you'll be fine."
Henry growled angrily, wanting to burst out and do something about his situation, but he could barely move.
"... That one's a heavy sedative though... sorry 'bout that boy."
~***~
Elizabeth looked around the park warily, looking for signs of Yamaki.
"Elizabeth..."
The voice spooked her out, as she whirled around to face him.
"... Do you always have to do that?" she asked angrily. Yamaki sighed.
"Yes, I do always have to do that..."
Elizabeth smiled weakly.
"Sorry... it just scared me..."
Yamaki grunted angrily.
"Henry is back at Hypnos," he said simply.
"... Hypnos?! Isn't that... where... you worked?"
Yamaki nodded sadly, knowing Elizabeth wasn't one to want to go to that place, not after what she saw the first time.
"... I'm not going..."
"It's Henry..."
".... I hate that! Alright, what's the plan?"
Yamaki smiled.
"You're in then?"
"Plan… now… or I'm charging in…"
~***~
Henry moaned, opening his eyes again.
"Hello there… and how is our test subject today?" Riley asked. He growled angrily.
"Why me? Why not someone else? Huh?"
Riley smiled evily.
"Well… it would have been Elizabeth… but you don't want her hurt, now do you?"
Henry's expression went to complete anger.
"That's not fair! Elizabeth didn't do anything! She'll be worried sick! I don't want her worried sick!"
Riley only laughed. She smiled at him, then went back to her tests.
"You still haven't answered my question…"
"Henry hun… it's because you and Terriermon share something special."
"Yeah… Elizabeth and Gabumon hold that same special feeling."
Riley sighed, shaking her head.
"No… you hold something we'd like to call the Cassandra Bug."
Henry's eyes widened. He didn't remember holding any bug in his body at any point in life.
"But…"
"When your father programmed that anti-Reaper vaccine into Terriermon's system, and then he biomerged with you…"
"Creating the Cassandra Bug…"
"What a smart boy…"
Henry growled angrily.
"You're father even knew he did something wrong to you when he put that vaccine into Terriermon."
Henry's eyes widened. His own father? No… he'd send Terriermon away for the sake of the world… but… put people in danger? No… Not him, not Henry… his own son… Or… did he?
~***~
Elizabeth crept along the air vent silently, making sure she wasn't caught. Yamaki was going to stall time for her so she could get in, install the virus, get Henry, and high tail it without getting killed. After beating the D-Reaper, she was sure this would be cake.
After awhile, she saw a grate emitting orange light, just as Yamaki told her it would. She crawled forward, stopping only inches away from it. She could hear Henry's voice. He was alive! Yamaki wasn't lying! She peered in, seeing a few scientists and a large test tube of some sort. Only a few minutes… just a few minutes more.
She glanced at her watch, noticing the time. 8:45 pm. One more minute and the plan would be set into action. Just one more minute. She looked down through the grate again, realizing that it would be quite unlikely that all of the scientists to leave the area. Turning around on her back, she scavenged her bag for the sleeping gas bomb Yamaki had given her. The most useful things at the least useful time. She could have just used her foot. It worked just as well. She looked at her watch. 30 seconds remained. Closing her bag, she turned back over as silently as she could, peering down over the grate again. One more glance at the watch told her Yamaki had 10 seconds before anything happened. 9… 8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…
The fire alarm went off through the building. Panicking, the scientists fled the area, leaving a lone, female scientist and the test tube. Elizabeth quietly slid the grate open, biting her lip at even the slightest sound it made. The scientist didn't seem to notice. Elizabeth slowly set the sleep gas bomb, waiting for clicks. Three clicks, throw it down, cover your nose until the gas has disappeared. One click… two clicks…
A gunshot rang out, and Elizabeth, in surprise, looked down through the open grate again. There was the scientist… no, it was Riley… a gun pointed straight at the smaller girl.
"Did you think I was daft enough to think that Yamaki wouldn't set up a scheme for me?" she asked. Elizabeth looked down, unaware of her words. She saw a crimson red spot in her stomach, and she felt herself slipping away. Riley saw this.
"Aww… little girl all wounded and in pain?"
Elizabeth fell through the open hole, landing with a thud at Riley's feet.
"I'll take that as a yes…"
"ELIZABETH! GET UP!"
Henry's voice echoed through her brain, but that's all it did. She was dead for anyone who cared. Henry stared, horrified, as his friend was shot in the gut and murdered by someone she had come to trust.
"SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!"
Riley smiled over at Henry.
"Easy… Like this…"
She raised her gun and shot through the test tube. Henry barely felt the pain from the sedatives he was given, but he did see the orange liquid drain out as it turned another darker shade of a similar color. He could feel himself blacking out. The last thing he saw was Riley laughing in an evil laugh.
~***~
Henry, startled, woke up with a start, drenched in a cold sweat. He looked around. He was in his room, not in a test tube. He quickly examined his bare chest for signs of bullet wounds, but found none.
"Elizabeth?"
A moan was heard, and a large blanket fell off of a nearby cot with a thud. The blankets fell off, revealing Elizabeth in her bunny rabbit pajamas. She looked over at Henry, her red hair in a mess of tangles.
"What?" she asked angrily. Henry stared at her for a moment.
"… Nothing…" he said, smiling, nothing at all."
Elizabeth growled.
"Can I go back to sleep now?"
Henry's smile formed a slight smirk.
"If you wish…"
Elizabeth rolled over in the blankets and fell asleep, completely unaware that she had fallen off the bed.